Hand printing-press.



H. L. AMENT.

HAND PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

3 SHEET SSHEET I.

H. L. AMENT.

HAND PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. I910.

Patented Mar. 14, 191.6.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. L. AMENT.

HAND PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1910.

1., 175 497, Patented Mar. 14,1916.

1 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

i I 3km? mm HAND PRINTING-PRESS.

' ribbon impressed by the type upon the paper.

It consists of the elements and features of constructionshown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the draWings:Figure 1 is a plan view of a printing press embodying this invention with the platen roll partlybroken away, Fig. 2 is a partly sectional side elevation of the same, one side of the fixed frame being broken away, and section being made in a vertical plane transverse to the axis of the platen roll through the latter and through certain other parts at the line 22 on Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a transaxial section of a. modified form of a platen roll having a special form of covering. Fig. 4 is a section at the line 44 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a chase which forms a part of the printing machine. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are side elevations of three forms of slugs or fillers employed in the chase. Fig. 9 is a section at the line 99 on Fig. 2.

. The structure shown in the drawings comprises a fixed frame, 1, in which there is mounted for reciprocation a chase and ribbon carrier, 2, a platen roll, 3, and a chase-supporting roll, 4. The carrier, 2, is a frame having at opposite sides at the top, flanges, 5, 5, which are lodged for sliding upon flanges, 6, 6, of the frame, 1, the said carrier being by this means suspended on theframc, l, underneath the platen roll, 3. for carrying the chaseback and forth under said roll. The chase or type-container, 7, is a shallow box or pan which is lodged upon and supported by the longitudinal upper side bars of the carrier 2, between which bars it is suspended and fits snugly (see Fig. 4). The roll 4 ispositioned in the frame, 1, so that the bottombf Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Application fi1e'dJune2, 1910. Serial No. 564,586.

the chase may be lodged and ride upon said roll in the reciprocation of the carrier, 2, said roll, 4, having its axis in the same vertical plane as the platen roll, 3, so that the pressure of the tworolls,the former below and the latter above the chase and type there1n,are directly opposed to each other in theline ofthe type between them. In the carrier, 2, upon lower longitudinal bars, 8,8, of said carrier, there are mounted the ribbon-carrying drums, 9, 9, with their axes transverse to the path of reciprocation of the carrier, having the ribbon, 10, wound atone end upon each roll and intermediately passing about the guide rolls, 11, 11, mounted in the carrier at the upper opposite end corners with their upper sides a little below the plane of the face of the type, 12,-set in the chase; so that the ribbon extending from guide roll to guide roll above the chase droops off a little from the top of the type to the guide rolls, as is necessary in order that the platen roll position for pressing upon the top of the type or upon the ribbon thereabove does not press the ribbon upon the guide roll, 11. The two drums, 9, 9, are connected by drive chain, 13, passing about pulleys, 9, on the drums for communicating rotation of one to the other, and causing each to act as a brake on the other, preventing excessive unwinding of the ribbon by momentum of the drum from which it is being unwound. It will be understood that the chain will slip on the pulleys to accommodate the variation in the give-and-take of the two drums due to the difierence in amount of ribbon wound on them respectively varying in their effective diameter. Upon one end of the axle of one of the drums and upon the opposite end of the axle of the other, there is fast a gear pinion, 14, preferably of ratchettype, so as to be adapted to be rotated in one direction only, and upon the fixed frame, 1, at one end at one side and the opposite end at the other side, there is mounted a rack bar, 15, having its rack teeth, 15% also of ratchet type for engaging of the frame upon which the rack bar is mounted when the carrier is moved past the platen roll, 3, so far as to have carried the entire body of type set in the chase past the roll and out of contact therewith, and to a point at which the ribbon is not pressed against the platen roll; and during the reof the rack, which is designed to be sufficient to propel the ribbon far enough to deliver the paper over the drum onto WhlCh the ribbon is being wound. It will be observed that the structure described causes the ribbon to be thus propelled in opposite directions at the opposite limits of the stroke of the carrier, and that if the two racks were positioned for engagement with the respective pinions at the same distance from the end of the structure so as to give equal rotation of the two drums in the respective strokes the ribbon will be thus propelled back and forth equal distances and would present the same two portions of its area alternately above the chase for pressure of the platen roll upon it in printlng. In order to prevent thisresult which would exhaust the ink from the particular spots in which the type would press upon it, one ofthe racks is positioned for encounter with the pinion a little earlier in the stroke than the other, with the effect of giving the drum actuated by this rack a little longer period of actuation than the other drum receives from the other rack; for it should be understood that in practice the rotation of the drums may continue longer than the actual engagement of the rack and pinion; that is after the pinion has traveled the length of the rack teeth by reason of the momentum of the drums derived from the first encounter of the pinion and rack, so that the earlier encounter practically gives the longer action whether the actuallength of the racks may be the same or not.

Mounted upon the fixed frame, 1, extending from side to side thereof, at each side of the platen roll, 3, are flat transverse bars, 20, 20, extended at their ends to form foot piece-s, 20 for securing them to the side standards of the frame, 1, said flat bars being mounted with their width inclined at an angle of about forty-five degrees.- Each ofsaid bars has midway between its ends a bracket arm, 21, extending of]? at right angles to its lengthin the inclined plane of its width. The bracket, 21, has a longitudinal slot, 21 and at the upper outer end an'offset lug, 21. On the bracket thereis mount-- ed for'engaging in the slot andsliding on the bracket "a'T-fittin'g, 22, whose stem, 22, is threaded and extends through the slot receiving below the bracket a thumb nut,'24, for clamping said fitting tightly upon the bracket at any position in the length of the slot at which the fitting may be set. A feed screw, 25, journaled in the offset lug,

- 21 takes through the fitting, 22, for feeding it up and down on the inclined bracket. A rod, 26, is mounted in the upper end of the T-fitting, 22, extending transversely of the machine,-that is, parallel with the platen roll axis,-and on the two end portions of the bar,that is, upon opposite sides of the r T-fitting,-there are mounted papersupports, 27, 27, which extend in an inclined direction at an angle of about forty-five degrees, the greater portion of the extent being upward and back from the pivot of the paper-support on the rod, 26, the shorter portion extending down from the rod under the platen roll, said portion consisting only of an arm, 27, at the lower end of which there is mounted a roll, 27 which bears up wardly against the under side of the platen roll for holding thepaper thereagainst to cause the individual sheets to be fed by the platen roll down onto the ribbon above the chase as the platen roll is revolved and the chase is propelled under the platen roll. The two supports, 27, 27, are adjustable on the rod, 26, to adapt them to different widths of paper, each support having at the outer side a flange, 27, which serves as a gage for the paper, and the supports being preferably adjustable so that the paper may pass freely but without appreciable play between the two opposite gage flanges. To facilitate this adjustment and hold the supports in adjusted position on the rod, the latter is threaded and provided on each end portion with nuts, 2%, 24 respectively, outside and inside the lug, 27 which forms the outer pivotal bearing of the support 27. There is formed back of the roll, 27*, an upwardly extending stop finger, 27 whose under edge stands at an acute angle to the upper edge of the arm, 27, so that a quantity of sheets of paper lodged on the support with their lower edges stopped by the finger are caused to present their upper edges slightly separated, each sheet being pushed back a little above the sheet below it so that the top sheet can be readily grasped to separate it from the pile. I v

For rotating the platen roll, a crank handle, 30, may be attached to the squared end, 3, of the shaft, 3*, of said platen roll, or to the squared end, l of the shaft, 4:, of the roll, 4, the movement in the latter case being communicated to the platen roll through the chase, which is engaged between the roll 4:

and platen roll. The diameter of the platen rollis 'preferably to be such. that its ciriii) mag-49v cumferenc'e will be greater than the dimension inthe direction of travel of the largest sheet for which the apparatus is designed, such circumference being therefore greater than the full length of the chase, which would be the maximum length of the printing area and would approximate the maximum dimension in that direction of the sheet to be printed. Each of the paper supports, 27, being supplied with a quantity of paper represented at 40, the carrier, 2, being at one limit of its path of travel or stroke, the operator will lift the top sheet from the pile on the paper support at that side, and lodging its lower edge upon the upper side of the stop lingers, 27, which slope at a very acute angle to the proximate under surface of the platen, the sheet will slide down on said finger and onto the rolls, 27 and upon rotation of the platen roll in the proper direction, the sheet will be drawn between the platen roll and the ribbon and pressed upon the face of the type in the chase while the carrier, 2, makes its stroke under the platen roll to the point at which the pinion, 1st, encounters the rack bar, 15. At this stage, the platen roll has passed off the face of the type and the ribbon is free from the grasp of the platen roll and type, and being now by the engagement of the pinion with the rack propelled over the chase in the direction opposite to that in which the carrier is traveling, the sheet of paper lying upon the ribbon is propelled back past and out from under the platen roll. and ofi' the chase and lodges in a'basket, 41,-which is provided for that purpose mounted underneath the path ofthe carrier. For stopping the paper and preventing it from being shot over the basket, there is provided a wire guard, a2, upstanding at the outer side of the basket, such guard being mounted upon the fixed frame, 1. T he operator will now lift a sheet from the pile on the support at the side of the platen roll to which the carrier has moved, and depositing it in the same manner as before upon the upper side of the fingers, 27 and reversingthe rotation of the platen roll, will cause theprinting operation to be repeated upon the second sheet, which will be deposited in a basket 41, at the other end of the frame. An impression will thus be made at each stroke of the ribbon-andchase carrier in each direction.

The construction of the chase and its furniture or fillers other thantype is contrived for the purpose of equalizing the movement of travel of the chase with the peripheral movement of theplaten roll, and producing substantially or approximately equal impression upon all lines of type, whether'fulllength or fractional. For this purpose, there are provided for interposition between the consecutive lines of type to properly space-them, reglets or fi11ers,50, which are cut away between their ends on the upper side to reduce the height adequately below the face of the type, the end portions, 50*, being left substantially type-high so that the platen roll will bear upon said ends and be prevented from settling between the lines of type, which would cause the impression to be marred by being intensified at the edges of the type. The pressure of the platen roll is designed to be such that when the lines of type are substantially full, that pressure being distributed thus over the full line is not too great but adequate only to produce the proper impression for printing, and the variation in this respect from a half line to a full line may generally be regarded negligible; that is, the difference in the im: pression upon a half line and a full line, except sometimes in the case of an exceptionally inked ribbon, is not more than can be permitted without marring the appearance of the sheet; and in all such full or approxi mately full lines, 12, the chase is filled out to the margin at each end of the line with ordinary slugs, 51, whose height is that of the middle portion of the reglets, 50;that is, suiiiciently below type-height to prevent any impression being made. But in case of lines which are less than half full, the end portions are filled with reglets, 52, having one end portion of full type-height and the remainder of the length reduced, thus affording support for the platen roll at the ends as it is supported by the fillers, 50, between the lines. It will be understood that furniture for filling the chase beyond the range of the composition at either end or at any extended intermediate portions which are without composition,wvill be provided in the'form substantially of the reglets, 50, but of any width or widths to facilitate rapid assembling, and that any customary means may be provided for locking the assembled type slugs and furniture in the chase. For the purposes for which such a press is designed, very slight locking is suihcient, and usually, it will be preferred simply to fill the chase snugly with furniture, dispensing with any special clamping means.

For reducing to a minimum the variation in the appearance of the printed lines which might be caused by the varying pressurg to which the individual longer and shorter lines are subjected, the platen roll is preferably provided with a face for bearing upon the ribbon formed of material having only very slightly yielding character, and yet not so hard as to fail to impress all the type faces and every part of such faces; when, as is likely to be the case, some portion of such faces may be slightly more raised than the others. For this purpose the best material, according to my experi ence, is firm-fibered paper applied in several tightly thereon, the slight amount of air which notwithstanding tight winding is re tained between the several laminae, being suflicient to afi'ord all necessary yielding ness, and operating to prevent the ribbon or the outer layer of the paper being cut by the type; that is rendering it unnecessary to apply for producing a good impression from the type any amount of pressure which would operate to cut the ribbon or paper. The employment of a plurality of layers of paper affords in addition to the advantage of the slight air cushion which is formed between the layers, the further advantage that the outer layer if at any time showing indentations and roughness from the repeated action of the type can be stripped oil and expose a new surfac free from such irregularity with a minimum interruption of the printing operation. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 8, the paper laminae being indicated by reference character 60.

The platen roll shaft, 3, is preferably journaled in boxes 58, 58, mounted for sliding vertically in the frame 1, and for adjusting them to cause the platen roll to make proper contact with proper pressure upon the paper above the inking ribbon, a threaded stem, 53, is mounted in the frame, 1, and

stopped against vertical movement therein (except as hereinafter mentioned) by means of a collar, 54;, pinned on said stem and engaged in a slot, 1 in the frame, 1, the lower threaded end ofv the stem being screwed into the upper end of the box and the upper end of the stem having a hand wheel for rotating it. Verticalplay is preferably allowed by making the collar, 54, a little less in thickness or vertical dimension than the vertical dimension of the slot, 1

' above illustrated.

The chase or type container, 7, is preferably madeof sheet metal or other sheet material suiiiciently stifi to retain its form when loaded with the type, but having the bottom at least somewhat flexible, so that as each line of type supported upon the botton passes the vertical plane of pressure, that is the vertical plane containing theaxes of the platen roll, 3, and the chase supporting roll, 4, any inequalities or buckling in the bottom of the chase or type pan may be straightened out without materially varying the pressure on the face of the type at different parts of the line; and also so .bility of the sheet metal.

that difficulty being that such a rigid support for the type must be planed down to absolute, accuracy of surface in order to avoid inequality in pressure and unequal intensity of printing, which when such a rigid base is used, can only be obviated by the expedient of backing up the type by the insertion of slips of paper or other backing. When the flexibly bottomed chase or type pan is employed, made of sheet metal whose thickness by reason of the method in which the sheet metal is produced by rolling is as nearly absolutely uniform as it is possible to obtain by any means, the uniformity of the type which is sufficiently reliable, insures uniformity of pressure except as to the slight difierences due to'the buckling which are negligible on account of the flexi- Preferably in view of the employment of the comparatively light sheet metalpan for holding the type, there is provided a supplemental seat or holder for this type pan or chase,'represented at 56, which is also of sheet metal, and similarly flexible. This holder is provided at its lateral edges with flanges, 56*,

by which it is lodged upon a shoulder formed by rabbetingthe inner upper longitudinal corners of the upper side bars of the carrier, 2. Y To arrest the travel ofthe carrier at the limits of its stroke in each direction, it may be provided with bumpers, 57, at each end, which collide with the roll, 4:, at the end of the strokes respectively. v

' When the ribbon has been wound entirely from one drum onto the other, it may berewound on the first drum by two or three quick strokes of the carrier at the position of which the pinion, 14 of the drum onto which it is to be re-wound, is engaged with 7 its rack, 15; the momentum of the, drums being sufficient to windthe ribbon rapidly and making it unimportant to provide automatic means for reversing the winding.

To insure the ribbon running true from guide to guideover the chase, I provide on the guide rods, 11, sloping shoulders, 1l ,at the paths of the lateral edges of the ribbon which cause the latter to slip inward to proper position while being propelled over the chase if it has been by any cause displaced laterally'so as to lap on either of the inclined shoulders.

I claim:

1. In a printing machine, in combination with a'chase mounted for reciprocation, an

inking ribbon extending over the chasefor supporting the sheet to be printed, two drumson which the opposite ends of the ribbon are wound, both mounted for reciprocation with the chase and with their axes transverse to the path of reciprocation, and means for discharging the sheet comprising means for rotating the drums at thefinishing portion of each stroke of the chase, such means being adaptedto move the ribbon by a substantial proportion of the length of the type form.

2. In a printing machine in combination with a chase mounted for reciprocation; an inking ribbon and rotatably mounted drums on which it is wound also mounted for reciprocation, means connecting the drums for simultaneousrotation, and means for actuating one of the drums for such rotation at the finishing portion of each stroke of the chase. a

8. In a printing machine in combination with a chase mounted for reciprocation, an inking ribbon and two rotatably mounted drums on which it is wound at its opposite ends also mounted for reciprocation with the chase; means connecting the two drums for simultaneous rotation, and means for actuating the drums alternately at the fin ishing portion of the respective opposite strokes of the chase.

4. In a printing machine in combination with a chase mounted for reciprocation, an inking ribbon and rotatably mounted drums on which it is wound mounted for reciprocation with the chase, pinions on the drum shafts and racks in fixed positions along the path of reciprocation of the chase for engaging the pinions respectively toward the limits of the opposite strokes of the chase to rotate the drums.

5. In a printing machine in combination with a chase mounted for reciprocation, an inking ribbon and rotatably mounted drums on which it is wound mounted for reciprocation with the chase, means connecting the two drums for simultaneous rotation, a pinion on the shaft of each drum and a rack for engaging each pinion fixed in position along the path of reciprocation of the pmion toward the limit of the stroke of the chase to actuate the drums respectively.

6. In a printing machine in combination with a platen roll, a carrier mounted for reciprocation past the roll, a chase and contents and an inking ribbon mounted on the carrier, rotatably mounted drums on the carrier on which the inking ribbon is wound, the chase and contents comprising substantially type-high marginal portions for frictional engagement of the platen roll to equalize the peripheral movement of the roll with the movement of travel of the chase, and means for rotating the drums independently of the platen roll at the finishing portion of each stroke of the chase to propel the ribbon over the chase.

7. In a printing machine in combination with a platen roll, a carrier mounted for reciprocation past the roll, a chase and contents and an inking ribbon both mounted on the carrier, rotatably mounted drums on the carrier on which the inking ribbon is wound,

means for reciprocating the carrier, the

chase and contents comprising substantially type-high marginal portions for frictional engagement of the platen roll to equalize the peripheral movement of the roll with the at its opposite ends; means by which the roll engages the chase for equalizing the peripheral movement of the roll with the movement of travel of the carrier; means connecting the two drums for simultaneous rotation; a pinion on the shaft of each drum and a rack for engaging each pinion mounted in fixed position along the path of the pinion toward the limit of the stroke of the carrier, for rotating the drums to propel the ribbon in the opposite direction of such stroke.

9. In a printing machine in combination with a platen roll, a printing member mounted for reciprocation tangent to the roll; a paper-support pivoted in inclined position at one side of the platen roll; paper-pressing rolls on the lower end of said support positioned for bearing upward against the under side of the platen roll, the paper-support having guard fingers located back of said roll, projecting up from the paper-support at an acute angle there with.

10. In combination with a platen roll, a carrier mounted for reciprocation past the platen roll; a chase on the carrier with sides parallel to the path of said reciprocation; a platen-opposing roll at the opposite side of the chase from the platen roll, the chase and contents comprising substantially type-high marginal portions for bearing on the platen roll interrupted at the longer lines of type.

11. In a printing machine in combination. with a platen roll and a platen opposing roll, a frame in which they are both journaled, a chase and a carrier for the same mounted for reciprocation of the chase be tween the platen roll and the platen opposing roll, the chase consisting of a bottomed receptacle for the type, the bottom being of flexible sheet material.

12. In a printing machine in combination with a chase mounted for reciprocation, an inking ribbon and rotatably mounted drums on which it is wound, means for rotating the drums at the finishing portion of each stroke .compassing them.

of the chase, pulleys on the drum shafts and an endless band encompassing them for braking. V

18; In a printing machine in combination Witha chase mounted for reciprocation, an

inking ribbon, and rotatably mounted drums on which its opposite ends are Wound; means for rotating the drums at the finishing porto said feed rollers; means by Which the platen roll engages the chase for equalizing the peripheral movement ofthe roll With the Copies of this patent may be obtained for travel of said chase; means for rotating the a platen roll and means forautomatically discharging printed sheets from the chase during the finishing portion of each stroke of its reciprocation.

15. In a printing machine in combination With a platen roll and a platen-opposing roll; a frame in Which they are both journaled; a chase and contents mounted for reciprocation between the platen roll and the platen-opposing roll, the bottom of said chase being of flexible sheet material and the contents comprising type and fillers set in lines parallel to the axes of the rolls.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 23rd day of May, 1910. V

p HERBERT AMENT.

Witnesses CHAS. S. Bon'ron, M. GERTRUDE ADY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner'of Patents, Washington, D-C. 

